


AC19 Day 9: Warden's Duty

by The_Rose



Series: Rose's Advent Calendar 2019 [9]
Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: 8.1 timeline, I had a lot of feelings during that patch, Retelling of a canon event, The Darkshore War Front
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 00:01:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21737962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Rose/pseuds/The_Rose
Summary: The Horde burned Teldrassil and as a revenge, Tyrande sought Elune's wrath to take down those responsible for it. But it wasn't without sacrifices and now, Maiev has to repair yet another mistake.
Relationships: Maiev Shadowsong & Sira Moonwarden, Maiev Shadowsong & The Wardens
Series: Rose's Advent Calendar 2019 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559185
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	AC19 Day 9: Warden's Duty

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the first fic that isn't Illidan/Maiev centric but still centered around Maiev. We're taking back in the 8.1 because I had a lot of feels about it and I wanted to tell how I think it could have been if we weren't in a MMORPG where we are like 25 to kick a boss' ass because it's a mechanic or something.
> 
> Well, enjoy !

“Maiev?” Drelanim asked, only passing her head through the door.

The Warden, wearing her armor, hummed a yes, her back facing the door. All around her, the room had been trashed but for the table and chair where she was sitting on. Even the table had been scratched by the metallic gauntlet but Maiev was looking strangely calm.

“It’s time to head to Darkshore,” explained the other Warden.

Maiev got up and turned around, slowly as if she was calculating every one of her movements and she walked to the door. Outside, only five of her Wardens were waiting for her. Mirana, Marin, Malace, Shalis, and Drelanim. The only ones that had stayed with her in those last months, years. The only one still willing to fight. The only ones left alive.

“Let’s go,” said Maiev, leading the way.

Since Tyrande’s ritual to become a Night Warrior, Darkshore was plunged into some kind of eternal night with Elune watching over them in dark-blueish wrath. But even with the moon looming over the zone as a threat to anyone that ever dare to attack the Kaldorei, the Horde had taken the advantage with the Alliance running away, to settle a headquarter where they had plans to control all of the north of Kalimdor.

But the Alliance wasn’t going to give up so easily.

With most of the Night Elves forces along to reinforcement coming from Gilneas, the Alliance was going to retake the lands of the Kaldorei and kill every Horde’s members that would dare to oppose them. And at their head, Maiev Shadowsong, whose reputation was already made. Even most of the adventurers that accepted to help in this battle had the chance to see her in action on the Broken Shore and knew they had a solid advantage. No matter who would try to stop them, they were going to win.

“We’re approaching the shore,” told one of the Worgen, looking through the mist.

“Alright,” said Maiev, grabbing everyone’s attention. “The plan is simple. We’ll accost not too far from Bashal’aran and the objective is to take the place. The Horde already built infrastructures that will help us fight them so take advantage of them. Once we got Bashal’aran, we’ll make our way to Lor’danel where the headquarters of the Horde is.”

The crowd silently cheered and nodded to approve of the plan.

“One last thing,” Maiev decided to add. “Show no mercy. No matter who you fight, remember that they are now the enemy and that no one deserves to be spared.”

Behind Maiev, the remaining Wardens looked at each other with a painful expression but they said nothing. Their leader had a point after all.

The battle was raging between Bashal’aran and the north shore but Maiev was impassive as she looked at her troops leaving to go and fight, ambushing and killing any members of the Horde they would find. Slowly, they were gaining ground and quickly, the enemy was fleeing instead of fighting back, even if Maiev had no difficulties to realize they were probably gathering their strength back to their headquarters to unleash a bigger attack. But they would be faster. Deadlier.

Maiev was barely talking, only barking orders at the troops when some of them were taking too much time to go back to fight. Near her, her Wardens kept looking at her but did their best to not bother the leader, they all knew that one particular subject couldn’t be bring up, especially not here.

“Wardens,” Maiev said out loud, grabbing their attention as if she had been reading in their minds. “I’ve just been warned that our vehicles are currently taking down the giant Azeritic robot on the north shore. Thus, I will join the troops and take down whoever commands them but I need you to stay together and protect Bashal’aran in case the Horde tries to bypass us.”

“With all my respect Maiev,” intervened Marin. “I think we would prefer joining you there. Six Wardens will be better than one.”

“Are you defying me?” Maiev growled, making her crescent slowly swinging as a way to intimidate them.

“We all know who is waiting for us there,” began to shout Marin, pointing at the horizon, towards the Horde headquarters. “We heard the troops talking about her and there’s no way we are going to let you face her alone!”

“I gave you an order and you will listen,” Maiev growled harder, not wanting to bring any unwanted attention on her.

“I’m with Marin,” said Mirana, stepping up. “We all have a part of responsibility in what happened. We have to be there for you.”

“I don’t need anyone to be there for me!”

“If you really want us to stay here,” said Shalis. “You will have to restrain us. But we won’t let you do that easily.”

With those words, her hands began to glow with a bright translucid green energy, the same that would be used to crystalize someone and, on the moment, Maiev almost regretted teaching them that trick. But fighting right now with her subordinates wasn’t the best idea and Maiev quickly put back her crescent on her side and turned her back to the Wardens.

“We’re running out of time. Do what you want,” she told them, eye-siding the little group. “But don’t die.”

With those words, Maiev began to run, followed by the rest of her Wardens. On their way to the shore, she had the pleasure to see that their troops did a really good job cleaning all the zone as they were able to reach most of their forces without even running across a single enemy. As they finally stepped near Lor’danel, the siege vehicles were taking down the last defenses of the awful goblin’s platform taunting them on the sea.

“Warden Shadowsong!” An adventurer said, catching her attention. “There’s only their commandant left and we win this fight. We are ready to follow you.”

Maiev looked away, right at where the commandant was waiting for them – for her.

“Everyone stays here,” she said out loud, making sure that they would hear her. “I will take down the commandant by myself. If I fail, feel free to intervene but as long as I’m breathing, I don’t want to see anyone else there.”

The crowd cheered as they accepted the decision of their own commandant and Maiev began to walk toward the hippogriff to take flight and join the platform.

“Maiev,” interrupted Malace softly, almost grabbing her wrist.

“It’s my duty,” she simply replied. “I’m coming back, I promise.”

And before anyone else could add something, she jumped on the animal and they left. On the shore, everyone looked at her as they had to trust her to take down the last member of the Horde still alive in the zone.

In a matter of seconds, they reached the platform and Maiev jumped on it, landing on her feet and finally, she faced the one she had waiting to face ever since Tyrande accomplished the Night Warrior’s ritual.

“Sira, put down your weapon on the ground and surrender!” she shouted to the Dark Warden.

“Why should I listen to you?” spat the former Warden. “You aren’t my superior anymore!”

“The Banshee got you killed! She is also responsible for the burning of Teldrassil! You shouldn’t be serving her!”

“You cannot understand!”

“Then explain it to me!” Maiev almost cried.

“You abandoned us! Abandoned me! Even Elune abandoned us all! It wouldn’t have happened if she had been there!”

“Sira please, you know this isn’t true. I did make a mistake by leaving you alone that day but I was trusting you! I never imagined that you could be defeated and killed! And look!” she said as she pointed to the dark moon in the sky. “Elune hadn’t abandoned us. She is there and she’s helping us to retake our lands.”

“Those are all lies!” Sira screamed as she jumped on Maiev, her crescent ready to hit the Warden.

Quickly, she blinked and avoided the hit, getting behind her former subordinate.

“Sira, I just want to help you!”

“You only want to kill me to erase the mistake you made!”

With those words, Sira resumed in her attack, trying to hit Maiev with her weapon but the Warden would constantly dodge, barely making an effort as Sira was shaking, only hitting out of rage and anger, with just the need to kill her former leader. Nothing else mattered. But Maiev knew what she had to do ever since Tyrande told her about Sira’s fate and she was ready.

“I’m just going to free you,” she whispered to Sira as she blinked right behind her and grabbed her to immobilize the woman.

Sira struggled in Maiev’s arms, trying to get out, kicking, screaming but the Warden was stronger. In all the years since she had joined the Wardens, Sira had never been able to defeat Maiev and a tear rolled down her cheek as she realized it would always be the case. She still kept fighting until she felt the cold of a metallic blade against her neck, slowly sliding under her armor.

“Maiev, please, no!” she cried out loud, not wanting to die again.

“The Banshee had no right to forbid you to join Elune,” whispered Maiev, anger tainting her voice, anger towards Sylvanas but mostly towards herself. “I’m just doing what’s right.”

The knife cut through Sira’s skin and her body fell weak against Maiev as it slowly began to empty from her blood. Silent tears were still running down Sira’s cheeks as she felt death taking her once again. Maiev sighed out loud and sat on the ground, gently removed the Dark Warden’s helmet and put Sira’s head on her laps.

“I’m sorry Sira,” she told her, delicately caressing her face to ease the agony. “If I had been there with you that day, it wouldn’t have happened. I’m sorry, it’s all my fault and I don’t blame you that you blame me. But please, don’t blame Elune.”

Fighting back her tears, Maiev looked right at the moon watching over the scene.

“Please Elune, forgive her and take her at your side,” she prayed to the moon. “All her life she had served you and fought in your name. She never deserved that fate. Please, take Sira Moonwarden with you and allow her to rest in peace.”

As if the moon heard her, its color changed back to its glorious white shine as Sira’s eyes shone once again brightly before her body felt completely lifeless against Maiev. As fast as she claimed the soul, the moon quickly turned back to its dark blue color and Maiev finally let the tears flow down on her face.

“Thank you,” she whispered to Elune before looking once again at Sira, a peaceful expression on her face as this time, nothing would force her back to life. “I hope you’ll be able to forgive me one-day Sira. I’m really sorry.”

Now that the battle of Darkshore was over, Maiev put back Sira’s helmet on her head and stood up. The hippogriff had joined her on the platform and she walked to it, gently caressing the neck of the animal as she looked towards the shore where they were waiting for her and she jumped on the back of the animal. Once she put back a foot on the sand, everyone came to see her, but her Wardens, just to have the confirmation that they had won.

“It’s over,” she said out loud as the crowd cheered once again, proud of their victory over the Horde.

Quickly, most of the night elves and Gilneas’ forces began to spread to either strengthen their new outpost to make sure the Horde couldn’t take it back, or to just go back home and take a well-needed rest. But as Maiev tried to follow them, she got stopped by a Warden calling after her.

“Maiev,” said Drelanim, the question unsaid but clear to anyone knowing about Sira.

“She’s with Elune now,” Maiev answered, not even looking at the Wardens. “You don’t have to worry about her anymore.”

The Wardens looked at each other, both relieved and sad that it had to be done like that but if Maiev could affirm that their friend was now at peace, it was all that mattered. They began to walk behind Maiev, following her like they always did while the leader lost herself in her mind, slowly realizing that every single Warden she had hoped to take the mantle once she would either leave or die, had ended up dying or corrupted and killed. It was like a curse that was looming on everyone on them.

She couldn’t have a successor.

“Wardens,” Maiev said out loud as she stopped walking, turning to face them. “Today, I took a decision.”

Knowing it was probably important, the five women stood still, like perfect soldiers as they listened to their leader.

“The order of the Wardens will die with me,” she announced. “I forbid any of you to take my succession once I’ll make the decision to stop leading you. Or in the case that I die. If you want to keep fighting, fine, just join any other group that will allow you to fight but don’t call yourself a Warden anymore. Understood?”

“Yes, Warden Shadowsong,” they all said at the same time, perfectly understanding why Maiev came to such conclusion, but they could probably make her change her mind later.

“Now let’s go back and end this war,” concluded Maiev.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it !  
> Tomorrow: We're taking back a contest where we left it and see who will win ;)
> 
> See you tomorrow and every day until Christmas with a new fic !
> 
> \----  
> If you just want to talk about WoW, my fics, someone else fics or anything, you can still hit me up on Tumblr!
> 
> https://thewritingof-therose.tumblr.com/
> 
> or on Discord
> 
> The_Rose#2429 (My personal one)  
> https://discord.gg/nvKggwc (An Illidan/Maiev Discord. Everyone welcome here! (Please tell me if the link doesn't work))
> 
> Later!


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